Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Balance

Today on the commute home I was very lucky to be the passenger. I was able to spend much of the hour drive looking out the window at a world that has gone from alive and green to set afire in shades that range from brilliant gold to pale yellow and even a few hardier trees still holding on to their green.

It is these differences that make the view so extraordinary. I was watching the endless forests pass by when I was struck by the beauty of a single tree that had such intense golden leaves intermingled with the paler less magnificent ones. And I realized that it wasn't the beauty of this one tree alone or the sea of ordinary that made this scene so awe inspiring, it was how in their contrast they both complimented each other, that caused me to stop and take notice.

I hadn't intended for this blog to be anything more than about the beauty of fall in Alaska but as I typed the above words I realized that in these trees there are lessons to be had. Like these trees, life works much the same way. Sometimes we are the magnificent golden one that people stop to take notice of and sometimes we are the paler ordinary ones that help to highlight the brilliant shimmering gold in our midst. Whichever we are at the moment we have an important roll and neither would be quite as special without the other.

(maybe I shouldn't be allowed to have soda it makes me loopy and I had two cherry cokes today. Be afraid. Be very afraid! Or count your blessings that you don't live or work with me.)